Barrett's esophagus is an abnormal change in the cells in a lower or bottom portion of the esophagus, which may be due to the esophagus receiving too much acid from the stomach. In some cases, the abnormal change may lead to cancer. To treat Barrett's esophagus, radio frequency (RF) energy, such as RF pulses, may be applied to skin cells or tissue at the surface of the esophagus. The application of the RF energy may ablate the tissue.
To ablate only the targeted tissue (i.e., the tissue at the surface), the RF pulses may be intense and short in duration. RF energy is typically not applied for longer than one second, and in many cases about one-half second or less. The duration that the RF energy is applied to the treatment site may be critical. Too much RF energy may cause harm to the patient, such as excessive burning of the tissue. Conversely, too little RF energy may fail to treat all of the abnormal skin cells. However, the duration of application of the RF energy may be difficult to control, particularly where the application is controlled through activation of a foot pedal.
Some RF generators may include and/or be housed with monitoring devices that monitor characteristics of the RF energy being output by the RF generator to prevent too much power from being output. Such monitoring devices may include digital processors and controls that are within the RF generators. However, many hospitals or other facilities have conventional RF generators that are not equipped with the monitoring devices. As such, a controller or control unit that is attachable to an RF generator and that controls delivery of RF energy from the generator to the medical device may be desirable.